Part 20: Attributes

I was taken aback at this, and extremely shocked. "What are you talking about, every time you summon me and then put me back, I end up at the exact moment I left. Of course you are freezing time…" I let my words hang in the air for a moment, and the room felt unnaturally still as I waited for her answer; a wait that spanned an eternity in mere seconds."I have no idea what you are talking about Jake. I have absolutely no way to stop time, no one does… it is impossible." Suma shifted on my shoulder uncomfortably. "But I do believe you.""You believe me?" I asked, "But you said it was impossible.""You are basically the walking definition of impossible, Jake. There is so much we do not know about you and your abilities. Who is to say that somehow time is not stopping when I summon you; at this point nothing surprises me anymore." She said shaking her head."Umm…" the other Neame interrupted, "so I take it that you are free for a noon appointment in three days?" Suddenly Suma and I snapped back to what we were doing and told the Neame that we wanted the appointment. We walked out of the Royal Citadel, well I walked and Suma rode."Suma," I began, "what did you mean when you called me impossible?""You have incredible strength, a forgiving heart, an immense amount of life force, and you have the ability to produce magic from your body at the same time as you manipulate the magic in the air. If you had any control or education in it, even the slightest bit, you would be a court level mage." Suma explained."Okay, but what did you mean when you said that there was stuff we didn't know about me? The only thing I can think of is what happened at the Grand Sanctum." I said. "You remember right? That fire guy.""Yes, I remember, and while that is one of them, perhaps even the biggest one, I did not mean only that." Suma said."What else don't we know?" I wondered."Well, there are quite a few things really. Why a being, born without magic, suddenly develops into a prodigy, how you are able to understand me, and the rest of my kind, despite never learning the language, and of course, there are things like your magical attributes. That however, will be one of the easier things to find out." Suma said."Well, why don't we start by finding out what we can? Start with the simple stuff, you know." I suggested."I suppose you have a point, and I was going to bring up getting your attribute tested anyway." Suma started letting her thought trail off but, with a jolt, snapped back and started to explain, "Oh right, an attribute is-" I cut her off."Actually, I have read enough manga and watched enough anime to know that much at least. An attribute is basically what I will be most gifted in." I said."Um yes, exactly…" Suma said. For a moment, she had a look on her face like she wanted to ask a question, but she never did."So, what are we starting with?" I asked."Finding out your attribute will be the easiest, but we will have to purchase a time slot with the equipment at the Grand Sanctum." Suma said. "Alternatively, we could go to the city's library and try to find materials about the figure of flame we saw in the Grand Sanctum.""What will they charge us for the time slot?" I questioned."Most people will accept coins made from rare metals, but the far more common method to pay with is mana transference." She explained."How does that work?" I asked."Well, most vendors and businesses have the containers that store mana, so when you pay for something, you just put in the required amount of mana." She said."What do they do with it?" I wondered."Sell it to the army, trade it with other vendors, or use it in crafting magical tools or equipment." She said."So, I could pay for it then?""If you want." Suma said."Alright then, let's go get my attribute tested." We started heading towards Suma's house so that I could put away my new shield and sword. Well, I say we, but really she just flew there then summoned me and my stuff, then she flew to the Grand Sanctum so I could be tested. After I reappeared, I looked around the large bird cage like room. "Is this where we were last time we came through here?""No, but it does look rather similar. This is actually the opposite end of the building." Suma said from her perch nearby."So, what exactly happens during this test?" I wondered."I do not know." Suma said simply. It caught my attention quite quickly to hear her say that."What do you mean you don't know? You suggested it." I said a bit worried."Yes, I know what it is, but not how it works. I was tested as a child; I do not remember much about what happened." She explained."Will it hurt?" I asked."I do not know.""Will they put me to sleep?" I asked more nervously."Honestly Jake, you are a mountain of muscle and magical power, do not be such a Skiddler." Suma teased."…A what?""It is a small amphibian that is known for running away from predators.""Hardy har har." I said sarcastically. "So, where do we go to get me tested?" I asked looking around the room again, this time for a sign or a help desk or something."I am not exactly sure. You should go left, and I will go right; let me know if you find anything." Suma said and flew off. I walked around for a while before seeing a nymph perched in the center of the room. I started to walk towards him, but as soon as I did, he squawked loudly and flew away. I kept going for a bit until Suma finally contacted me saying that she found the area."Oh good," I said, "the only thing I found was some-" I was cut off halfway through by the sounds of flapping wings and shouts."Find that creature! It cannot have gotten far! Who would just let their familiar roam around like that? It could be dangerous!""Um Suma… please summon me now." I said not wanting to deal with that issue.Just as I began to vanish, I heard a voice shout, "There it is!" I was fully gone by the time they got to me."Ready to get tested Jake?" Suma asked excitedly."…Yup." I said deciding to forget about what just happened. We were led into a large room by a Neame with almost completely white feathers. It was the first one I had seen with so little blue, that at first, I didn't even realize it was one. Looking closer, I saw that what little blue she did have was pale and cloudy. Over our mental connection, I asked Suma about it."Suma, why does this Neame have almost no blue?""This is the Grand Sanctum, I do not know the specifics, but I do know that some who live and work here choose to have the color in their feathers removed completely or dyed white." Suma said."Why don't you know?" I asked."It is a religious practice, and I do not attend the services of this temple." She explained. Her answer made sense; I couldn't expect her to know everything about her world. After all, there was plenty of stuff in mine I didn't know. The room we were in was large and tall, but in the center of the room was a table of sorts with several different colored gems adorning them. The table was solid all the way through, as if it were carved from a single block of stone, and two feet tall. Off to the far sides of the room were smaller tables, well they were more like tall bumps in the floor really, but they each had several gems as well."Place your hands on the gems one by one." The Neame instructed. "If the gem glows, then that is your branch, and we can proceed to the required table." Her voice was small and faint, but not timid. It was like she had never raised it in her whole life, sounding frail, yet with elegance.I placed my hands on the first two gems, but the Neame clarified that she meant place both hands on a single gem. I apologized and moved my left hand over to the gem my right hand was on. I waited a moment, but it didn't glow and the Neame said I should move on to the next one. I repeated this process with every gem on the table until there was only a single one left."I guess that's my attribute," I said placing a hand on the gem and tuning to the Neame.The Neame averted her gaze, as if to hide her face, and quietly said, "You have my deepest sympathy. I am so sorry." Her voice sounded like she was sad, it broke as she spoke and for a second, I thought she was beginning to sing. However, she quickly regained her composure and apologized again. "I am so very sorry Sir Jake.""Sorry… why?" I asked concerned."Jake," Suma said sounding very upset herself, "that is the Gem of Chaos.""Okay… what's that mean?" I asked confused.It was the white Neame that answered my question. "The Attributes of all living things fall under two broad categories: Order and Chaos. Almost everyone has some form of Order magic. These common attributes include Energy, Body, Nature, and Mind. Each of these can be subdivided further. For instance, Miss Suma, what is your Attribute?""My attribute is healing," Suma said. "It falls under the Body type.""Exactly, however Chaos types are exceedingly rare. There have only been four, or five if you believe the legends, Chaos mages in recorded history. Some kinds of Chaos magic are illegal. Anyone found practicing them is punished severely." The white Neame concluded."What? So, you're saying I might not even get to use my magic?" I questioned, feeling a bit sad and angry."It is possible," she told me.I sighed, "Well… we've come this far." I said and laid my hand on the final gem. A dark blue and deep black glow emanated from the gem, and I heard an audible gasp from the white nymph. "So… is it the illegal type?" I asked."We… we do not know. That gem only tells us that it is Chaos." She explained. I looked over at Suma, who had been quiet this whole time, and saw her wide eyed and looking like she was on the verge of a freak out. She was staring off into space and breathing heavily. I placed a hand on her, and she jumped slightly in surprise, but soon leaned into my hand. She began to calm down and we followed the nymph to another, smaller, table. "First, place your hands on the gem closest to you." She almost ordered. She sounded quite uncertain and nervous. I did as she said, but it didn't glow, she breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her tense body. "Okay, good, it's not the illegal attribute.""Well what is it?" I asked beginning to get exasperated."Place your hands on the gem directly to the left of the one you just touched." She said much more relaxed. I did and them gem glowed a navy blue."So… what kind is it?"